Method of clearing fibers out of a vessel



Aug. 16, 1932- w. ZUR LOWEN 9 5 METHOD OF CLEARING FIBERS OUT OF A VESSEL Filed Dec. 7, 192.

, fivenfiar:

Waldemar zur Lon aw Arraknay Patented Aug. 16, 1932 WALDEMAR zrm rowan,

OF WUPPERTAL-BARMEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO AMIBJOAN IBEMBERG CORPORATION, OF ELIZABETHTON, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF MARY- LAND METHOD OF CLEARING FIBERS OUT OE.A VESSEL Application filed December '7, 1929, Serial No.

In the treatment under pressure of cotton fibers withhot liquids it has been found that there are difliculties in clearing out the vesselin which the fibers are treated. The

cotton fibers and more particularly the long fibers have the tendency to form 'into lumps and to felt, when thetreating liquid is run off. If the treating'liquid should be drawn ofi by suction, a solid cake of fibrous material is formed, which cannot readily be loosened up again with fresh liquid. Hitherto it has been necessary to clear such fibrous material out of the vessel by hand. It has already been proposed to remove short-fibered fibrous materials, for instance cellulose after it has been boiled together with the lye out of the boiling vessel through the action of compressed air. This treatment, however, entails difficulties when the treating liquid is let 0111' after the boilin operation and in the case of long-fibered brous materials, more particularly cotton, it is almost impossible to carry out, as the cotton covered with fresh water does not distribute itself uniformly owing to having become felted, so that when being run off thick lumps of feltedcotton get into the outlet pipe or are forced into the orifice of the same, thus blocking up the entire outlet.

The disadvantages described above are overcome by the method according to the present invention. The method consists in this, that the cotton fibers in the form of pulp are agitated by means of compressed air and kept in a divided state, the pulp being forced in this state out of the vessel through a pipe extending down into it. When the used treat ing'liquid has been temporarily removed'by suction and a firm cake of fibrous material is 40 left, the latter is covered with fresh liquid and thereupon loosened up and agitated with air only. This is preferably effected while the pressure vessel is open so that the contents of the vessel will not be forced into the outlet pipe before they have been thoroughly stirred up.

The new method has the further advantage that it enables the cotton fibers to be forced in a simple manner to considerable heights. In this way it is possible to place the heavy presthe 412,544, and in Germany December 15, 1928.

sure vessels on the ground level, while the other treating apparatus for the cotton fibers are placed aloft.

' In the accompanying drawing a diagrammatic view of an apparatus is shown by way of example, in which the method can be carried out. i

In the pressure vessel 1 is a pulp of cotton in a liquid 2. Through the pipe 3 which terminates in a perforated coil at the bottom of the vessel, compressed air is introduced. At the commencement of the agitating operation the compressed air can be allowed to escape through the cock 5 until the fibrous material has been thoroughly stirred and distributed. The cock 5 is thereupon closed and the cock 6 in the pipe 4: of large diameter, which extends downwards into the vessel, is opened. Under the action of the compressed air the pulp of fibrous material will rise in the pipe 4;. In this way the vessel 1 will be emptied of material all but a small residue. At the bottom of the vessel 1 is a cock 7 which serves the purpose of running off the liquid and which, if a sieve be placed in front ofit, can also be used for withdrawing the treating liquid by suction. At the top of the vessel is an opening 8 for charging the vessel.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A method of clearing cotton fibers out of a closed vessel in which they have been subjected to the action of a treating liquid, consisting in running off the treating liquid, letting in fresh liquid, admitting compressed air into the fresh liquid and causing it to agitate the liquid containing the fibers until latter are evenly distributed throughout the liquid, allowing the compressed air to accumulate in the vessel and thereupon causing it to force the liquid with the fibers out of the vessel through a pipe immersed in the liquid.

2. A method of clearing cotton fibers out of a closed vessel in which they have been subjected to the action of a treating liquid, consisting in running off the treating liquid, letting in fresh liquid, admitting compressed gaseous medium into the fresh liquid and causing it to agitate the liquid containing the fibers until the latter are evenly distributed throughout the liquid, allowing the compressed gaseous medium to accumulate in the vessel and thereupon causing it to force the liquid with the fibers out of the vessel through a pipe immersed in the liquid.

5 3. A method of clearing cotton fibers out of a closed vessel in which they have been subjected to the action of a treating liquid, consisting in running 011' the treating liquid letting in fresh water, admitting compressed gaseous medium into the fresh water and causing it to agitate the water containing the fibers until the latter are evenly distrib uted throughout the liquid, allowing the compressed gaseous medium to accumulate in the 15 vessel and thereupon causing it to force the liquid with the fibers out of the vessel throu h a pipe immersed in the liquid.

4. K method for clearing fibers out of a vessel comprising admitting liquid to the vessel, agitaing the liquid with a compressed gaseous medium to distribute the fibers throughout the liquid, and allowing the compressed gaseous medium to accumulate in the vessel and force the liquid with the fibers out of the vessel through an outlet below the surface of the liquid.

5. A method for clearing fibers out of a vessel comprising admitting li uid to the vessel, agitatin the liquid to istribute the fibers throng out the liquid, admitting a compressed gaseous mediumand allowing the compressed gaseous medium to accumulate in the vessel and force the liquid with the fibers out of the vessel through an outlet below the surface of the liquid.

testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WALDEMAR zun LoWEN. 

